Apple Wins Access to Information on Android Development History and Motorola Acquisition Talks

[MacRumors]

Bloomberg reports that a federal judge in Chicago has ruled that Google and Motorola Mobility must share with Apple background information on both the history of Android development and Google's pending acquisition of Motorola as part of an ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Motorola.

The development is a key one for its impact on drawing Google into the patent fight that has until now mostly seen the company staying in the background of the Android-iOS patent disputes with Apple going head-to-head with hardware manufacturers.

Google Inc. and a Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. unit were ordered by the U.S. judge presiding over an Apple Inc. patent lawsuit to turn over information about the development of Google's Android operating system.

The Motorola Mobility unit and Google must also hand over to Apple information about Google's pending $12.5 billion acquisition of the mobile-phone maker, U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner in Chicago ruled yesterday. [...]

"The Android/Motorola acquisition discovery is highly relevant to Apple's claims and defenses," Apple's attorneys' said in a March 2 filing requesting the judge's order.

Motorola has argued that it can not compel Google to comply with the order, given that Google acquisition of Motorola has not yet been finalized, but Judge Richard Ponser apparently disagrees with that assessment.

Access to information on Android's development history could provide Apple with more ammunition in its efforts to bring down the platform. Steve Jobs notably referred to Android as a "stolen product" in his biography, vowing to wage "thermonuclear war" with Apple's entire cash hoard in an effort to destroy Android. Apple has won several court decisions against hardware manufacturers over their Android-based products, forcing minor tweaks to their functionality and/or design in several markets, but it has not yet struck a crippling blow to either the hardware companies or Android itself.

Article Link: Apple Wins Access to Information on Android Development History and Motorola Acquisition Talks

 

[nfl46]

Go Apple.

 

[BobbyRond]

And in other news, Apple sues after reading development history. The fun just never stops!

 

[skinned66]

This should be an interesting angle to follow.

 

[Small White Car]

I find it really hard to have an opinion on these stories.

On the one hand, it's all wasteful and it would be nice if this sort of stuff didn't happen. On the other hand, I can't exactly wish that Apple would sit out while everyone else plays the lawyer game. That would end poorly for them.

So, basically: blaghhh

 

[Surreal]

While I am all for protecting your hard work, I still think that 'destroying' Android is not the best goal. I think that holding them responsible for what was 'stolen' is completely within reason, but not everything or even the lion's share of Android is 'stolen'.

I am not a fan of Android as a platform, but it is different and 'deserves' to continue. That was all opinion, of course.

 

[dethmaShine]

As far as I can remember - Google employees openly discussed in the company email domain as how Java was essential to Android and even though they didn't license it, they would fully and wilfully exploit it. When asked in courts, they didn't really present the email.

I'm not very sure what all information Google will be letting Apple access. I highly doubt 'any'. 'Anything' that goes against them will be censored. Usual.

 

[MonkeySee....]

Steve Jobs dying wish....... "Crush Android".

 

[Thunderhawks]

Won't destroy Android, but they'll get a slap on the hand and need to pay some $$$.

Most likely it gets Motorola to license their patents correctly (FRAND) and drop any further suits.

Be evil Apple we know Schmidt took your knowledge with him.

Will be interesting to see the Android hoards blaming Apple.

 

[Bensalama21]

I would bet a lot of money that they will find things in the history that were Apple related. It's a matter of time before Google is sued.

 

[Dresling]

So sad....

I can truly understand that Apple doesn't want other companies to make profit on their ideas, but all of this is just so "legal," and its sad to read about. All tech-companies are crooks once in a while.

 

[dokujaryu]

Google already has a bad track record of leaving emails lying around that incriminate or at least embarass themselves, like in the Java case.

It will be interesting to see where this goes.

 

[BobbyRond]

I am not a fan of Android as a platform, but it is different and 'deserves' to continue. That was all opinion, of course.

I'm a pretty big fan of iOS and consider Android not very different. Microsoft's approach to mobile phone software on the other hand is very different.

I've had the Lumia in my hands once and although I think the phone design itself is really ugly, Windows Phone software worked fluently and has a total different approach on how a smartphone should work when comparing it to iOS. Android feels very iOS'ish to me...

 

[hakuna-matata]

C'mon apple..just back off now will you?? (or don't crush android until 5-6 months or so, as i would be selling my cuz's sgs2 then)

 

[Thermonuclear]

Innovate vs Litigate

The choice is Innovate vs Litigate, and the "new" Apple has sadly but not unexpectedly taken the latter course.

Give me back the "old" Apple, the one that was run by visionaries and engineers; not by accountants, lawyers, and hipster designers.

 

[Joe Walker]

If Android gets sued into obliviion, what will poor Tmobile sell I wonder?

 

[ogman]

Too many lawsuits

In the end, consumers suffer. We need corporate tort reform.

 

[Bilbo63]

The choice is Innovate vs Litigate, and the "new" Apple has sadly but not unexpectedly taken the latter course.

Give me back the "old" Apple, the one that was run by visionaries and engineers; not by accountants, lawyers, and hipster designers.

The problem is when Apple innovates, they get ripped off. If Apple sits back and doesn't protect their innovations, then they are basically saying "we'll show everyone how things should be done, feel free to come steal our stuff".

 

[Winni]

As far as I can remember - Google employees openly discussed in the company email domain as how Java was essential to Android and even though they didn't license it, they would fully and wilfully exploit it. When asked in courts, they didn't really present the email.

I'm not very sure what all information Google will be letting Apple access. I highly doubt 'any'. 'Anything' that goes against them will be censored. Usual.

That's fascinating. How exactly can you "willfully exploit" something that by its very definition is FREE SOFTWARE. Java has been put under the GNU General Public License by SUN before Oracle acquired the company. I find playing the patent game on a technology that was made available as free software rather absurd.

Android itself is also free software. While a system might be require a license from Google to get access to the Android Market and while most companies require assistant from Google to get the software running on their hardware, it nevertheless is open source software and can be used by anyone.

But regarding those eMails... Will we also get access to the eMails from Steve Jobs in which he orders his employees to rip off the LG Prada? And what about those emails in which he decreed to rip off Android's notification system? And that whole iCloud concept... Doesn't that look awfully familiar to what Google provides for their Android devices?

Anyway, who cares anymore. Apple has always been the sue-happiest company in the industry. And now, since there haven't been any real innovations since the introduction of the first iPhone, apparently litigation is all that's left for them to do.

----------

The choice is Innovate vs Litigate, and the "new" Apple has sadly but not unexpectedly taken the latter course.

Give me back the "old" Apple, the one that was run by visionaries and engineers; not by accountants, lawyers, and hipster designers.

I take it that you haven't been around long enough to know that Apple has always been notorious for suing anyone who had a mouse in the basement and a trash bin next to his desk. (That metaphor actually is from the 1980s when Apple sued every company that came up with an own graphical user interface. And it's noteworthy here that Apple didn't invent the graphical user interface.)

 

[Blorzoga]

As far as I can remember - Google employees openly discussed in the company email domain as how Java was essential to Android and even though they didn't license it, they would fully and wilfully exploit it. When asked in courts, they didn't really present the email.

I'm not very sure what all information Google will be letting Apple access. I highly doubt 'any'. 'Anything' that goes against them will be censored. Usual.

That would be referred to as obstruction of justice, a felony.

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (PlayStation Vita 1.61) AppleWebKit/531.22.8 (KHTML, like Gecko) Silk/3.2)

I've been waiting for Apple to get the chance to take this directly to Google since all this patent malarkey started up. Looks like we're getting closer and closer to that happening.

 

[supmango]

It seems to me that Apple would not keep this up if they didn't believe they could win. Especially now with Steve Jobs gone, there has to be plenty of ammunition for Apple to use against these other companies in order to justify a continued assault.

 

[entatlrg]

The choice is Innovate vs Litigate, and the "new" Apple has sadly but not unexpectedly taken the latter course.

Give me back the "old" Apple, the one that was run by visionaries and engineers; not by accountants, lawyers, and hipster designers.

Lol, delusional post Name ONE company that's 'out innovating' Apple. Just watch 2012 unfold with new products and you'll eat those words over and over. By the end of the year you'll look up 'innovation' in the dictionary and see this

I'll be more impressed that ever if Apple continue's to act on Steve's wishes and takes down Android the stolen, yet poor copy of Apples incredible work on iOS and the iPhone.

Go Apple Go!

 

[supmango]

I'm a pretty big fan of iOS and consider Android not very different. Microsoft's approach to mobile phone software on the other hand is very different.

I've had the Lumia in my hands once and although I think the phone design itself is really ugly, Windows Phone software worked fluently and has a total different approach on how a smartphone should work when comparing it to iOS. Android feels very iOS'ish to me...

Microsofts approach is different... but still a very Microsoft approach, I'm afraid.

 

[Peace]

Just follow the career of Andy Rubin and you will see how this all started.

Mix in one part Eric Schmidt on the BOD at Apple,the Linux kernel and you get Android.

A "fractured" fairy tale.